IRGC Says Tanker Carrying More Than Two Million Barrels Sank in Hormuz
Key Facts
The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps’ navy said on November 15 that two tankers struck naval mines in the southern part of the Strait of Hormuz and that one of them sank. The Guards said the sunken tanker was carrying more than two million barrels of crude oil. Agence France-Presse quoted the Guards’ account that the tanker sank after hitting a mine and catching fire. But the agency said there was no independent confirmation of the two incidents announced by the Guards. The Guards did not identify the tankers or their origins.
The Guards’ announcement did not identify the tanker it said had sunk, its flag or its owner, and it did not name either tanker or give their origins. The account attributed to the Guards is limited to two tankers striking mines in the southern part of the strait and one sinking after a fire. The report relayed by Agence France-Presse did not independently confirm details of the incidents. The sinking and the reported cargo therefore remain claims attributed to the Revolutionary Guard Corps. It was not possible to verify whether anyone was injured in the two mine incidents, and no verified casualty count was available in the published information.
In a separate notice on the same day, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations said it had received a report from Indian shipping authorities of an attack on a tanker heading east through the Arabian Gulf before entering the Strait of Hormuz. The agency said the tanker’s crew was safe, without linking the notice to the two mine incidents cited by the Guards. It added that damage and environmental impact assessments were unknown at the time of the report. The notice provides a separate account of an attack on a tanker on November 15, but does not confirm the Guards’ claim about the two tankers or the sinking of one of them. The crew safety information in the agency’s alert applies to the tanker mentioned in that notice.
The reported developments are significant given the scale of energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz. An average of 20 million barrels per day of crude oil and petroleum products passed through it in 2025, according to the International Energy Agency. About 25% of global seaborne oil trade passed through the strait that year. For crude alone, nearly 15 million barrels per day transited the strait, accounting for about 34% of global crude trade. These figures put the strait at the heart of seaborne oil supply routes, with crude’s share differing from that of total oil and petroleum products.
The International Energy Agency says options for bypassing the strait are limited, with available capacity on alternative export routes estimated at between 3.5 and 5.5 million barrels per day. Those routes account for only part of the daily flows through Hormuz, according to the agency’s estimates. The agency warned that a prolonged disruption to shipping could lead to a sharp rise in oil prices and rapid physical shortages. It tied that possibility to an ongoing disruption, rather than the announcement of a single incident. Amid tensions over shipping, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said Washington must meet Iran’s conditions concerning the strait for shipping to resume.
Ship-tracking data cited by Reuters showed five cargo ships transited the strait on Saturday, while no crossings were recorded on Sunday, compared with 31 crossings over the previous weekend. The report cautioned that ships might pass undetected if they switched off their transmitters, limiting what tracking figures alone can show about actual traffic. Oil prices had risen in the November 12 session: Brent crude settled at $95.82 a barrel, up $3.06, or 3.3%. West Texas Intermediate closed at $88.74, up $2.21, or 2.6%. Reuters linked the rise to escalating attacks on Saudi infrastructure and the risk of shipping disruption through the strait, while prices from that session do not reflect the November 15 announcement.